Refrigerating unit



March 13, 1934. H. Rum

REFRIGERATING UNIT Filed May s, 1932 Tv/A CIECHI [NVE/WOR. Harig/Rubin A TTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 13, 1934 PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING UNIT Harry Rubin, Cleveland, Ohio, assigner of onehalf to George J. Matowitz, Cleveland, Ohio Application May 6, 1932, Serial No. 609,655

3 Claims.

This invention relates generically to refrigerating units, and more specifically to removable units for use in connection with ice boxes or the like, and is especially adaptable for use in connection with common refrigerating devices such as ice boxes now in use.

The object of the invention is to provide means which are simple, economical and elicient for reicing refrigerators with an ice substitute.

Various further and also various more speciiic objects, features and advantages will more clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification.

The invention consists in such novel features, arrangement and combination of parts and methods as may be shown, described and claimed in connection with embodiments of the instrumentalities herein shown and described by way of example only.

Constructional examples of the invention are illustrated in the gures, in whichz- Figure 1 is an elevation of an icing unit made in accordance with my improvement, the trays or drawers being removed therefrom.

Figure 2 is a section on line B-B' in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line A-A' in Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a plan View of a tray or drawer showing the same having a number of compartments in which ice cubes may be made.

Figure 5 is a side view of the tray.

Figure 6 is a front View of the tray.

Refrigeration is the art of removing heat froml a coniined space or substance for the purpase of reducing its temperature and maintaining it below that of its surroundings.

Refrigerating apparatus may be broadly classed under two main heads, chemical and mechanical.

The change of the physical condition of a substance, say, when it is in the act of passing from a solid to a liquid form, necessitates the expenditure of energy in the form of heat in order to overcome its cohesive force. This may be effected without change in sensible temperature; if the heat be absorbed as fast as it is supplied from the exterior, as, for instance, in the case of melting ice which remains constant at a temperature of 32 deg. Fah., any increase or decrease in the supply of heat merely hastening or retarding the rate of melting without in any way affecting the temperature.

Certain mixtures, however, composed of some salts with water or acids, and of certain salts with ice, have the property of producing liquids which have freezing paints lower than the original temperatures of the mixtures, and act in a different manner from that above mentioned, the tendency in this case to pass into a liquid form being so powerful, that the absorption of heat e0 which takes place is more rapid than can be supplied from the exterior, with the result that a consumptim of the store of the melting substances themselves takes place. As a natural sequence to this action, the temperature of the melting substances falls until the rate of melting and the rate of heat supply from without become balanced.

The state of hydration of the salt and the percentage of it present in the mixture govern to a certain extent the degree to which the temperature can be lowered. The salts used in ordinary freezing mixtures are usually those of certain alkalies which are almost the only ones possessing the requisite solubility at low temperatures.

A frigoric mixture, which can be depended upon to give good results, consists of sodium sulphate six parts, ammonium nitrate iive parts, and

nitric acid diluted four parts. This mixture will produce a reduction of temperature of from plus 80 50 deg. to minus 40 deg. Fah. Other mixtures are as followsz Parts Reduction of temperature Sodium nitrate 3 g Nitric acid, diiuccd-- 2{ fh-i from Plus 50 as Reduction of temperature, deg. Fab., from plus 40 to plus 4.

Ammonium nitrate Water Sodium sulphate- 6 Reduction of temperature, Ammonium chloridedeg Fah" from plus 50c 90 to -10. {Reduction of temperature,

Potassium nitrate Nitric acid, dluted Sodium phosphate 9 o Nitric acid, di1uccd 4 ifl" from plus 50 Ammonium ntrate Reduction of temperature, 9; Sodium carbonate 1 deg. Fah., from plus 50 Water l to 7.

drawing, which will now be described, it being premised, however, that various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of its various parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as dened in the appended claims.

In the device shown in the drawing, the reference character A designates a casing of suitable configuration in which is formed a chamber B for the reception and retention of a frigoric mixture that may be placed therein. The casing consists of an outer element 10 of sheet metal, lthe* said sheet metal is resistive to corrosion. In the interior of the outer casing there is provided dependable insulating material 11 such as mineral wool, pure sheet cork, or corkboard. Ii corkboard or sheet cork is used the joints formed by the meeting edges of the corkboards or sheets may be sealed with hydrolene cement or other suitable sealing cement.

An inner casing 12 of noncorrosive and acid resistingsheet metal is mounted in the casing and shields the insulating material from the chemical action of the frigoric mixture or refrigerant that may be used in the device. The inner casing is provided with two or more compartments 13 and v14:. The compartments are not provided with insulating material, and the outer walls 15 and 16 thereof are in direct contact with the refrigerant or frigoric mixture that may be used in the device. l

'The compartments are provided with removable trays, which may be suitably divided into smaller compartments as at 17, and wherein ice or frozen fruit cubes may be made if desired. It

will `be understood that the trays may be free from the smaller compartments, and that the trays may be used for suitable storage purposes.

The casing is provided with an inlet 18, closed by a proper cap or plug, (the cap or plug not shown .but understood in the art).

The unit is preferably provided with a handle 19, las shown, which facilitates the handling of the unit with ease and despatch.

The icer may be charged with a refrigerant at a central plant and delivered to the user.

While I have herein shown and described a preferred arrangement, it will be readily understood that changes and modifications therein may be found desirable or essential in meeting the various exigencies of use, and I desire to be understood as reserving the right to make any and all such changes or modications as may be found desirable or essential, in so far as the same may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims when broadly construed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:-V

l. In a portable refrigerating apparatus of the character described, the combination of a suitable outer casing, of an inner casing, of an insulating element within the outer casing and surrounding the inner casing, an endothermic type of refrigerant Vin the inner casing, noninsulated compartments in the inner casing and immersed in the endothermic refrigerant, a removable tray in each of the said noninsulated compartments, an inlet having a small area in the casing and a closure for the inlet.

2. In a portable refrigerating unit as dened in claim l further characterized in having the trays divided by transverse and longitudinal partitions to provide a number of chambers.

3. In a portable re-rigerating unit of the character described, comprising, in combination, an -outer casing, an inner casing therein but separated from the outer casing and forming therewith a surrounding space, a composite insulating material inlling the space thus for-med, a filling orifice of small area for introducing an -endothermic type of refrigerant` i-nto the unit, a closure for the orifice, a pair of similarly characterized noninsulated compartments in juxtaposition in the.

inner casing in the unit, and complemental trays removably fitted in the compartments.

HARRY RUBIN. 

